User Reviews

Uncle Vanya

Posted by Marina on 11/27/2013

perfect!!!!

Haven't been at Uncle Vanya's for some time. A close friend of mine was celebrating her birthday there and invited me to come along. I loved both the atmosphere and the food and I really had to ask myself "Why I haven't been here for so long"? Menu and some of the decorations have changed(for the better), but the best thing about this place is its calm, homey, and warm art-like energy. Servers are attentive and just really seem like interesting people. I also noticed the new organic items on the menu and actually tried the restaurant's signature organic Smoked Chicken Ceaser made with Red Kale instead of the typical boring lettuce. For the main course I had the Salmon Kulibiaka(puff pastry with salmon and mushrooms inside) which actually came in a form of a fish. Ohh and did I mention the brilliant piano player who played his own beautiful improvisations to well known tunes so fast and precise we were truly amazed. While leaving the place I really felt like I made some new friends.

Uncle Vanya

Posted by Anonymous on 08/16/2012

Has gone downhill

I used to love Uncle Vanya's but was sorely disappointed last night. Putting aside the "B" rating, the restaurant felt and smelled musty. Half of the items weren't on the menu and the ones my friend and I did order, like beet salad and borscht, lacked flavor. The only redeeming item was the delicious black bread, which was store-bought. I even had to send back my glass of cabernet sauvignon because it tasted off. Finally, while the waiter was friendly enough, he was slow to come to our table and was inattentive. Sadly this restaurant has gone downhill and I would not recommend it.

Uncle Vanya

Posted by Steven Loyko on 07/09/2012

wonderful place for private and regular parties

We had a corporate party here. Very cheap and entertaining. We had a five thousand dollar budget and had three thousand left over. The piano player is awesome and beside great food, the drinks were also included. The waiters are friendly and charismatic. Love this place will plan to be back soon :)

Uncle Vanya

Posted by JWH on 06/28/2012

Great evening!

As someone who enjoys Russian food and atmosphere I was very happy to find Uncle Vanya on our visit to NY. The atmosphere was very friendly and the food was enjoyable. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a pleasant evening.

Uncle Vanya

Posted by Dan on 06/19/2012

Not recommended

The prices on the menu may be attractive for some in the search of authentic cusine, however the food is unappetizing. The presentation and the taste of the food - unacceptable.The shaslik - it seems peacefully aged from Perestroica on the kitchen shelf. The portion lacks the size. The duck w/apples( was highly praised by the staff) was poor. Overall I would recommend to look elsewhere.

Uncle Vanya

Posted by Hairy Hungry Geek on 02/14/2012

What a nice find!

Went there this evening with my wife for dinner. As noted below, they have beer and wine only, no hard liquor. We had the borscht, which was OK - I've had better, but I've had worse. For appetizer had the caviar blini - very nice. The blini were pretty much just how I like them, and I really like caviar. Wish they'd had black caviar also, but oh well. Had the Golubtsy, which was very good - we really enjoyed it. Also had the Salmon Kulebiaka, which was flavored right and the pastry dough was good - but was slightly overcooked and a little dry. Could've come out of the oven a few minutes sooner. The Russian beer was good, I haven't had Baltika before. The live guitar tonight was just fantastic. The coziness of the place, laid back atmosphere, nice live music, and pretty good food (and not run-of-the-mill like so many other places) puts this on our repeat list - we really enjoyed dinner tonight, and will be back to try other things on the menu.

Uncle Vanya

Posted by Anonymous on 01/21/2012

Nice cozy restaurant

This was my first time trying Russian food; the borscht and vareniki was delicious. Great place to be hungry on a winter day, very filling--the borscht itself is a meal. The dessert wasn't great though--pasta filled with sour cherries. I didn't see the final bill, but hope they didn't charge us for the piano playing, mentioned by another reviewer.